FRICTION IN SOUTHLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2861, 13 January 1909, Page 32

FRICTION IN SOUTHLAND.

The largest meeting for yea^-s past of the Nightcaps Branch of the Otago Coal-miners' Industrial Union of Workers was held on Fri-day evening. Mr W. Dixon presided. The following resolution was unanimous^passed:—^ That this branch absolutely refuses any medial examination."' Th-e meeting was held owing to intimation having been given by the manager of the Nightcaps Coal Company that the employees ■would have to undergo a medical examination. MR HaXDYTSIDE'S VIEWS. A reporter from the Southland Times interviewed Mr v»\ Handyside, manager of the Nightcaps Ccal Company, on Saturday, and obtained from him his opinions about the trouble generalh, and as to how it is likely to affect his company's mine particularly. Mr Handyside stated that the company had informed the men that the\ v, ould be required to undergo a medical examination. and he had been advised that ths men had decided at a im i etiii l r that they vvould not do so. He pointed out that «•, a re->ult of the passing- of the new Compensation Act the insurance companies had raised their rates of insurance 10 per cent., and that at present they would not take any risk arising out of the men contracting industrial diseases. He '-thought the employing companies would be bearing more than their fair proportion of the increased oharges on account of the greater security which the new act assured to the employees by the payment of premiums 10 per cent, larger, and the men themselves mighty reasonably have h^en expected to bear the expense of a medical examination, particularly as tho charge to be made was a small one. He had made inquiries as to What it would cost to have the Nightcaps men examined, and had made arrangements to have the work done by a qualified man at what he considered the very reasonable rata of half a orown per man. !3o far as he personally wa s concerned, and from the point of Uew likeh to be adopted by the company, the proposal seemed a most reasonable one. and likely to be a good institution for the miners themselves. It would be in the interests of the men fcecause if they wished to go anywhere che Co -work they would have gone furnished Jtrith & clean bill of health in the shape of fa doctor's certificate. The proposal wa s not fey any means a now idea. The Westport Coal Company, which carried its own inhurance risks, had insisted for years upon every man entering its employment undergoing a medical examination. Smaller companies, whloh had to arrange with insurance companies +o oarry their risks, and JjVoo had to pay handsomely for the arfcrofteniGiit, coulS not be expected to do "without a 6imitar precaution. r>articulail> TO view of that provision of the new act *vhich made employers liable for damages In respect of industrial diseases contracted l>y workers. Compensation could be renovered by a worker only if the disease had fceon contraotsa within the preceding 12 fcnotoths, and thus tho medical certificate Vould protect the employer, and, as he had fehovrn. benefit the men as well. However, b telegram In th© morning paper, purporiIn# to be a message from the Prime MinisB&r, see|ned to show that the Government fc6d oavod in. That would jyet ovsr the Wffioylty, hxtk In ft vefy t»n«atLsfaotory wa.y. th tie eOu'ra^ 6f Renflra,! conv^tsatton. m HWcll Ikfr Hivto^ySld^ e"£frf essed his oplnfofi

' &i to ftie unfairness of so-called industrial legislation, which was always" in the interests of workers and to the detriment of employers, he stated that the process of passing on to tho consumer the increased cost of production caused by this legislation could not be carried on indefinitely. The increased cost of timber had stopped the demand for New Zealand timber, and had also made it possible for outside producers to compete in our market. So far as Nightcaps coal was concerned, it was possible in 1852— 0r 27 years ago,— when the company commenced operations, to buy a ton of Nightcaps coal for only Is less than the customers were asked to pay for it now. On the other hand, the cost of production had increased in an inicomparably high ratio — this to show that the Nightcaps Company had not been earning unreasonably large profits. j The men employed by the company at ihe mine he had always found fair and and he could explain their present action in no other way than by supposing fhat. they had been influenced , by tho Miners' Union.